Search Data Sources
Duplicates
Within Orders
SSS uses special software and procedures for finding and removing duplicate names from user output. A student record is considered a duplicate and removed from SSS data if the record matches another.
Across Orders
SSS users who place more than one order in a given year should take care to prevent duplicate records across multiple orders:
- Users who place multiple orders in a single search cycle are cautioned to use mutually exclusive selection criteria to prevent overlap, e.g. PSAT/NMSQT Cycle Search "Order #1" includes students whose combined Verbal and Math score falls in the 120–160 range; PSAT/NMSQT Cycle Search "Order #2" includes students whose combined Verbal and Math score falls in the 100–119 range.
- Users who order both Winter or Summer SAT Cycle Search and PSAT/NMSQT Cycle Search in the same year can exclude duplicates by selecting the appropriate options on the Search Populations page, the very first screen of the SAT Cycle Search order.
- Users who order AP Cycle Search in the same year as any other Cycle Search should expect most student records in the AP Cycle Search output to be duplicates of records in the other Cycle Search output. The value of AP Cycle Search in combination with SAT or PSAT/NMSQT Cycle Search is therefore not so much in adding volume, as in adding new qualifying information about existing prospects.
Please note that we do not offer refunds for duplicate names.